Suzanne Ellis Maurer-Marinkovich, daughter, sister, Mom, Nana, fierce warrior, and unique, unforgettable soul, died December 20, 2021, held in love and grace by her four daughters. Suzi was born in 1947, and spent her childhood in Michigan and Southern California, the beloved baby sister of two older brothers and an older sister. She was the golden-haired beauty and rebellious black sheep of her good family. Suzi loved to tell the story of throwing her jeans out the upstairs window, walking past her mom in “proper” clothes, only to scoop up the jeans from the front lawn to change on her way to have fun.

Suzi went to college and became a physician’s assistant specializing in allergy treatment. At 22 years old, Suzi decided it was time to have a baby and promptly did so. She lived with her baby and new husband on an avocado farm for a while, backpacked around Europe a bit, and eventually settled in Northern California. Working at a local allergy practice, Suzi became the best investigator of allergen triggers, sniffing out the source of debilitating household problems like dust, mold, and other environmental irritants others couldn’t identify. She also met and fell in love with the doctor, became a bonus mom for the doctor’s three children, and went on to have three more beloved babies with him. With this, her tribe was formed.

Suzi was an unstoppable force. She appreciated the finest things, wanted to do as she pleased, and grabbed life by the horns without a safety net. Suzi loved opera, PBS, clothes, language, jewelry, travel, people, animals, flowers, theater, dance, horses, soccer, skiing, books, antiques, dolls, and truth. She abhorred liars, cheats, people who couldn’t have hard conversations, manipulators, judgmental people, and worrying about money.

In her middle years, Suzi’s many struggles increased, and things became unbalanced. Though she faced many challenges, she was still able to raise her daughters, made them better than she was, and became a Nana. She tried her mightiest to be a good Nana, and she succeeded - she loved her kids and grandkids like no other and they knew it. Suzi had magic healing hands that brought comfort and warmth to those lucky enough to feel her physical presence. If you needed her support, she was behind you one thousand percent, no matter what. Suzi lived in Northern California for the rest of her life. In her later years, Suzi fought to stay alive and be with her family until she had nothing left to give. She died as she lived – doing what she wanted and knowing she was loved. No one loved the beautiful things in life more than she did.

Suzi is survived by her daughters Erin (Steven), Zoe (Connor), Anya (Marc) and Tess (Renato), her stepchildren Doug, Andy, and Nina, her grandchildren Devon, Alexa, Trent, Reed, Sloane, and Stellan, her wonderful older brothers Jim and Ken, and her cats Ben and Hiver. She was preceded in death by her dear parents and her beloved older sister Jeanne, who also had the magic touch.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Give Me Shelter, a cat rescue organization. https://www.givemesheltersf.org/contribute.php.

The family will hold a private memorial in Suzi’s special spot in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.